Staking machine



31, 1954 J. GARRETT STAKING MACHINE 4 Sheeis-Sheet 1 Filed April 10, 1953 Aug. 31, 1954 J. GARRETT 2,687,635

STAKING MACHINE Filed April 10, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 31, 1954 J. GARRETT 2,687,635

STAKING MACHINE Filed April 10, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 arrefi' Amy/5 4' W wk R mm w/ 31, 1954 J. GARRETT STAKING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 10, 1953 III c7a c05 gal-fez? w .6 32? .5 W W MUM I Patented Aug. 31, 1954 STATES NT OFFICE 14 Claims.

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in leather treating apparatus and more particularly to new and useful improvements in automatic staking machines operable to stretch and soften leather.

With the foregoing in mind, the principal object of the present invention is to provide a novel staking machine which will automatically stake a tanned skin in a relatively short period of time with a minimum amount of work by the operator of the machine.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel staking machine which will grip a piece of leather and draw the staking blades over the leather while exerting sufilcient tension on the leather to properly stretch and soften the same.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel staking machine having a novel staking roller and staking blade of a greater length than the length of the tanned skin which prevents transverse shrinkage of the skin during the staking operation.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a novel staking machine having the features and characteristics set forth which is of a relatively simplified construction and highly efficient and effective in operation and use.

These and other objects of the present invention and various features and details of the operation and construction thereof are hereinafter more fully set forth and described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a front elevational view of a staking machine made in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse sectional view of the staking machine illustrated in Fig. 1 taken on line 2-2, Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view of the upper end of the staking machine illustrated in Fig. 2 at the start of a staking opview taken on line 55, Fig. 3 illustrating the construction of the staking roll and staking blade;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken on line 6t, Fig. 5 illustrating the engagement of a piece of leather by the staking roll and staking blade;

Cal

' length of the cross head If.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional View taken on line l-'-'!, Fig. 1 illustrating the construction of the cross head and the method of mounting the same on the frame; and,

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 88, Fig. 2 illustrating the operating cam and cam followers which control operation of the staking roll and staking blade.

The present invention consists essentially of a clamp and clamp roll which grip a tanned skin and permits the skin to hang vertically in the staking machine. A felt cover staking roll having alternate thick and thin portions to provide a generally wave-shaped longitudinal configuration and a staking blade corresponding to the shape of the staking roll are carried by a cross head and mounted at opposite sides of the leather gripped by the clamp and clamp roll. After the leather has been placed over the clamp roll, the machine is started and the clamp engages the leather on the clamp roll. The cross head is then moved downwardly in the machine and the staking roll and staking blade moved inwardly toward each other and downward to engage the skin and stretch and soften the same during the downward movement of the cross head. The wave-shaped longitudinal configuration of the staking roll and staking blade preventstranverse shrinkage of the leather during the staking operation. After the staking blade and staking roll have been moved a substantial distance downwardly ofthe leather, a pair of snubbing rolls engage the leather and prevent the leather from snapping upwardly in the machine when it is released by the staking roll and staking blade. At the completion of one cycle of operation of the machine, the staking roll and staking blade are disengaged from the leather, the snubbers return to their outer positions, and the clamp is disengaged from the'clamp roll to release the leather. This completely stakes one half of a tanned skin, and the skin is then reversed in the machine to permit the other half of the skin to be staked.

Referring more specifically to the drawings and particularly Figs. 1 and 2, a staking machine made in accordance with the present invention comprises a frame It having a cross head ll slidably mounted thereon for relative vertical movement between predetermined upper and lower positions. The cross head I I extends longi tudinally of the staking machine between the side frame members and has an elongated longitudinal slot or opening l2 therein, as shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 7,- which extends substantially the full Guide members |3, |3 are carried by the cross head interiorly of the opening l2 therein and diverge outwardly and upwardly from the cross head to provide a funnel shaped entrance to the opening l2 through which a tanned skin extends during the staking operation. As shown in Figs. 1 and '7, the opposite ends of the cross head I l have skids l4, l4 thereon which are received in adjustable guides |5, |5 mounted vertically on the frame it. These skids I4, I4 and vertical guides l5, l5 maintain the cross head I in a horizontal plane as it is moved between its upper and lower limit positions.

Extending longitudinally of the lower portion of the frame beneath the cross head H is a crank shaft l6 which pivotally mounts an upwardly extending pair of crank arms H, H. The crank arms N, If in turn are pivotally secured at their upper ends to brackets |8, |8 depending downwardly from the base of the cross head II. By this construction, rotation of the crank shaft It causes vertical reciprocal movement of the cross head H in the guides l5, l5 and at the same time the crank arms H, H are rocked back and forth about their pivots on the brackets l8, l8.

Extending longitudinally of the staking machine adjacent the upper end of the frame I0 is a padded clamp roll 2| about which a piece of leather L to be staked is placed, for example, as shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4. The padded clamp roll 2| is rigidly mounted in the frame with its inner edge surface in alignment with the opening l2 of the cross head so that the leather L hangs down from the clamp roll through the cross head opening. In accordance with the present invention, the leather is secured to the clamp roll prior to the staking operation to prevent movement of the leather while it is being staked. This is accomplished in the present instance by providing a clamp 22 positioned in parallel relationship with the clamp roll 2| and actuatable into a position in engagement with the leather on the clamp roll to securely grip the leather. Padding of leather or other similar material, is provided on the clamp 22 to more securely grip the piece of leather being staked. The clamp 22 is carried by the forward ends of a pair of rocker arms 24, 24 fixedly secured to a shaft 25 mounted in the frame it parallel to the clamp roll 2| for limited oscillating movement.

The clamp 22 is caused to engage and grip the 7 leather on the clamp roll 2| at the beginning of the staking operation and release the leather after it is staked. In the illustrated embodiment of the present invention, this is accomplished by mounting a pair of cams 2B, 26 at opposite ends of the shaft it which engage rollers 21, 2'! carried by pivotally mounted cam levers 28, 28. The cam levers 28, 28 are pivotally carried by a shaft 3| secured to the frame H) of the staking machine forwardly of the cams 26, 28 as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 and the cam levers 28, 28 extend rearwardly of the cams and have a pair of upwardly extending connecting links 32, 32 pivotally secured thereto. The cams 26, 26 are similar and have a low portion 26a on a portion of the periphery while the remainder of the periphery is concentric with the shaft 26. By this construction, when the cam roller 2'! engages the low portion 26a of the cam 26, the connecting links 32, 32 are raised upwardly and, when the cam rollers engage the concentric portion of the cams 25, 23, the connecting links 32, 32 are pulled to their downward limit positions.

With reference to Figs. 1 and 2, the upper ends of the connecting links 32, 32 are connected to the midpoints of a pair of pivoted toggles 33, 33 through a pair of compression springs 34, 34. Each compression spring 34 is held captive on a connecting link 32 between upper and lower caps 35 and 38, respectively. The upper cap 35 is secured to the connecting link 32 while the lower cap 36 is carried by a yoke 31 secured to the central pivot point of the toggle 33. The rear end of the toggles 33, 33 are pivotally mounted in adjusting blocks 38, 38 while the forward ends of the toggles are pivotally secured to rocker arms 39, 39, for example, as indicated at 4|, 4|. Downward movement of the connecting links 32, 32 will compress the springs 34, 34 thereby exerting force on the central pivots of the toggle 33, 33 and causing the toggles to move downwardly to a substantially horizontal position as illustrated in broken lines in Fig. 2. This, in turn pivots the shaft 25 clockwise, as shown in Fig. 2, thereby forcing the clamp 22 into engagement with the piece of leather L positioned over the clamp roll 2|. By adjusting the rear ends of the toggles 33, 33 laterally in the adjusting blocks 38, 38, the amount of compression of the springs 34, 34 may be varied thereby controlling the force exerted on the clamping roll 2| by the clamp 22.

An important feature of the present invention is the provision of a staking roll 42 and a staking blade 43 carried by the cross head II at opposite sides of the piece of leather to be staked. The staking roll 42 extends longitudinally of the staking machine and is of a greater length than the largest piece of leather which can be handled by the machine. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the staking roll has alternate thick and. thin portions formed concentrically with the axis of the roll which provides a generally wave-shaped longitudinal cross sectional configuration to the roll. This roll is covered with felt and may rotate during the staking operation, as more fully described hereinafter. The staking blade 43 is carried by a block 44, as shown in Fig. 8, and is adapted to overlie the staking roll as illustrated, in a position substantially tangent to the roll. The forward end of the staking blade is formed to correspond to the wave-shaped configuration of the staking roll. Positioned in spaced parallel relationship with the staking blade 43 at the opposite side of the block 44 is a wrapping blade 45 formed of fiber board or similar material which is positioned beneath the staking roll 42 when the staking blade is in its operating position tangent to the upper surface of the staking roll and serves to wrap the leather around the staking roll during the staking operation.

The staking roll 42 is carried, at its outer end portions, by a pair of arms 46, 46 pivotally mounted at their mid-points to brackets 41, 41 secured to the cross head H, as shown in Figs. 2 and 7. The lower ends of the arms 46, 43 adjustably mount cam followers 48, 48 which engage cam segments 5|, 5| carried by the crank arms IT, IT. Each cam segment 5| is bolted, as indicated at 52 to a flange 53 extending laterally outward from the crank arm H and may be readily removed therefrom and replaced when necessary. In a similar manner, the block 44 which carries the staking blade 43 and wrapping blade 45 is carried by a pair of arms 54, 54 pivotally mounted at their mid-points to brackets 55, 55 secured to the cross head II, as shown in Figs. 2 and '7. The lower ends of the arms 54, 54 adjustably mount cam followers 56, 56, similar to the above-mentioned cam followers 48, 48 which engage cam segments 51, 57, bolted, as indicated at 58, 58 to the outaesaess wardly extending flanges 53-, 53 on the crank arms The two pairs of arms 46, 46 and 54, 54 are mounted in opposed relation at opposite sides of the cross head II and are interconnected with each other below their pivot points by coil springs, for example, as indicated at El in Fig. 2. The coil springs are under tension and thereby normally urge the staking roll 42 and staking blade 43 outward away from each other. The cam segments 5 l, 5! and 5?, 5? have high portions thereon which are operable to engage the cam followers carried by the pairs of arms 46, 46 and. 54, 5-5 and actuate the staking roll and staking blade inwardly toward each other into engagement with the leather being staked, for example, as shown in Fig. 3.

At the beginning of a cycle of operation of the staking machine of the present invention, the staking machine is stopped in the position illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawing. The operatorof the machine takes a piece of leather over the clamp roll 2| so that the major portion of the leather hangs down from the clamp roll 2| through the cross head opening 12. The upper end of the leather is, at the same time, positioned over a supporting surface 62 adjacent the roll 2! and passes downwardly in front of spring biased switch actuating members 63, 53. The operator then presses inwardly on the switch actuating members 63, 63 closing a pair of series connected starting switches which cause the crank shaft !6 to make one complete revolution.

The initial rotation of the crank shaft brings the high portion of the cams 25, 26 into engagement with the cam rollers 21, 21 thereby drawing the connecting links 32, 32 downwardly and placing the clamp 22 into pressure applying relationship with the leather on the clamp roll. Further rotation of the crank shaft rocks the crank arms I l, it about their pivot points on the brackets l8, [8 from the position shown in Fig. 2 to the position shown in Fig. 3. At the same time the crank arms start operating the cross head H downwardly so that during the initial rotation of the crank shaft, the staking roll and staking blade are pulled downwardly along the leather to be staked at the same time they are brought into engagement with the leather. This portion of the operation of the staking machine takes place during the portion of rotation indicated by the letter A in Fig. Further rotation of the crank shaft IS pulls the cross head ll downwardly on the staking machine and at the same time draws the staking roll and staking blades over the leather to soften and stretch the same. This phase of the operation of the staking machine takes place during the period of rotation indicated by the letter B in Fig. 2.

Simultaneously, during downward movement of the cross head H. a pair of cam rollers 66, 66 rotatably carried by brackets 57, 6-! secured to the lower edge portions at opposite sides of the cross head are brought into engagement with the lower ends of apair of arms 68 and 69 at opposite sides of the staking machine, as illustrated in Fig. 4. These arms 68 and 69 are each secured to pivotally mounted shafts H, H. The arm 68 is fixedly secured to one shaft H while the other arm is mounted between oppositely disposed collars 2, for example as illustrated in Fig. l. The side edges of the arm 59 and the inner edges of the collars '12, 12 are serrated so. that the relative rotary position of the yoke with respect to the collars may be adjusted. The collars. in turn. are splinedto. the

shaft H to cause rotary movement of the shaft upon engagement of the arm 58by a cam roller 66.

Secured to the opposite ends of each shaft H, as,

illustrated in Fig. 1, is a pair of rocker arms 13, 13 which extend outwardly and upwardly from the shafts H, H and carry snubber rolls. 14', IA disposed parallel to the longitudinal axis of the staking machine and positioned at opposite sidesv of the piece of leather being staked. Upon engagement of the arms 68, 58 by the cam rollers 66,

'66, the rocker arms are pivoted with the shafts.

H, H causing the snubbers 14, M to. engage opposite sides of the piece of leather being staked. The engagement of the leather takes place prior to the completion of the downward movement of the cross head H and thus the snubbers will grip the leather before the leather is released by the staking roll and staking blade. The snubbers therefore prevent the leather from snapping upwardly in the machine at the end of a staking operation.

The snubbers 74, M are normally spring biased to a position out of engagement with the leather being staked to permit the leather to be easily inserted into and removed from the staking machine. This is accomplished in the present instance by providing a pair of torsion springs 15, 15 which are positioned concentrically on each shaft 7! and have one end thereof secured to a collar pinned to the shaft 1 i, for example as indicated at l6, 16. The other end of each torsion spring 15, 15 is held captive in a pair of bracket members 11, H which are secured to the frame of the machine and encircle the shaft ll. This construction tends to cause the shafts H, "H to maintain the, snubbers 74, M in a position away from the center of the staking machine as illustrated in Fig. 2.

Further rotation of the crank shaft l6 causes the cross head H, to be pulled to its lowermost.

limit position whereupon the staking roll and staking blade are removed from engagement withv the leather being staked. Simultaneously, the

crank arms ll, ll are caused to rock in the clockwise direction with respect to Fig. 2 thereby removing the cam followers 48, 48 and 56, 56 from engagement with the high portions of the cam segments 5|, 5! and 58, 58, respectively, which permits the tension springs 5 l, B! to pull the lower ends of the arms 55, 46 and 5s, 5d inwardly of the staking machine toward each other. The staking roll and staking blade are then moved ou wardly away from the center of the staking machine by the tension springs 6|, 5! to the position illustrated in Fig. 4. This phase of the operation of the machine takes place during the portion of rotation of the crank shaft l6 designated by the letter C. Further rotation of the crank shaft [5, as designated by the lever D, returns the cross head H to its upper limit position. Simultaneously, with the return of the cross head I i to its upper limit position, the cam follower 2i engages. the low portion 25a of the cam 26 thereby elevating the connecting links 32, 32. and removing. the. clamp 22 from engagement with the leather on the clamp roll 2 l. The operator of the staking machine may then reverse the leather to present the second half of the leather to the staking machine and again close the starting switch t l to repeat the cycle of operation of the machine. This, procedure will cause a tanned skin or other. piece of leather to be completely staked.

From the foregoing, it will be observed that the. present invention provides a novel staking machine which will automatically stretch: and

soften leather in a relatively shortperiod of time with a minimum amount of work by the operator of the machine. In addition, it will be observed that the present invention provides a novel combination of staking roll and staking blade which are longer than the leather to be staked so that one half of the skin is completely staked during one cycle of operation of the machine and at the same time the skin is prevented from shrinking transversely during the staking operation.

While a particular embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described herein, it is not intended to limit the invention to such a disclosure and changes and modifications may be incorporated and embodied therein within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a staking machine to stretch and soften leather comprising a cross head mounted for vertical movement, drive means operable to reciprocate said cross head vertically, gripping means mounted upwardly adjacent said cross head to securely grip and support the leather being staked, a staking roll carried by said cross head at one side of the leather being staked, a staking blade carried by said cross head disposed in parallel relationship to said staking blade at the opposite side of the leather, and means actuatable upon downward movement of said cross head to force said staking roll and staking blade into engagement with opposite sides of the leather to stake the same during downward movement of the cross head.

2. In a staking machine to stretch and soften leather comprising a cross head mounted for vertical movement between predetermined upper and lower limit positions, drive means operable to reciprocate said cross head between said upper and lower limit positions, gripping means mounted upwardly adjacent said cross head to securely grip and support the leather being, staked, a staking roll carried by said cross head at one side of the leather being staked, a staking blade carried by said cross head disposed in parallel relationship to said staking blade at the opposite side of the leather, spring means normally urging the staking roll and staking blade outwardly away from each other, and means actuatable upon downward movement of said cross head to force said staking roll and staking blade into engagement with opposite sides of the leather to stake the same during movement of the cross head to its lower limit position.

3. In a staking machine to stretch and soften leather comprising a cross head mounted for vertical movement between predetermined upper and lower limit positions, drive means operable to reciprocate said cross head between; said upper and lower limit positions, gripping means mounted upwardly adjacent said cross head .to securely grip and support the leather being staked, a staking roll carried by said cross head at one side of the leather being staked, a staking blade carried by said cross head disposed in parallel relationship to said staking blade at the opposite side of the leather, means actuatable upon downward movement of said cross head to force said staking roll and staking blade into engagement with opposite sides of the leather to stake the same during movement of the cross head to its lower limit position, and a pair of snubbers disposed at opposite sides of the leather actuatable into en- 8. gagement with the leather before the cross head reaches its lower limit position.

4. In a staking machine to stretch and soften leather comprising a cross head mounted for reciprocal movement, drive means operable to reciprocate said cross head, gripping means to securely grip and support the leather being staked, a staking roll carried by said cross head at one side of the leather being staked, a staking blade carried by said cross head disposed in parallel relationship to said staking blade at the opposite side of the leather, means actuatable upon movement of said cross head in one direction to force said staking roll and staking blade into engagement with opposite sides of the leather to stake the same during movement of the cross head, a pair of snubbers disposed at opposite sides of the leather actuatable into engagement with the leather, and means to remove said snubbers from engagement with the leather after the staking operation.

5. In a staking machine to stretch and soften leather comprising a cross head mounted for vertical movement between predetermined upper and lower limit positions, drive means operable to reciprocate said cross head between said upper and lower limit positions, gripping means mounted upwardly adjacent said cross head to securely grip and support the leather being staked, a staking roll carried by said cross head at one side of the leather being staked, a staking blade carried by said cross head disposed in parallel relationship to said staking blade at the opposite side of the leather, cam means carried by said drive means actuatable upon downward movement of said cross head to force said staking roll and staking blade into engagement with opposite sides of the leather to stake the same during movement of the cross head to its lower limit position.

6. In a staking machine to stretch and soften leather comprising a cross head mounted for vertical movement between predetermined upper and lower limit positions, drive means operable to reciprocate and said cross head between said upper and lower limit positions, gripping means mounted upwardly adjacent said cross head to securely grip and support the leather being staked, a staking roll carried by said cross head at one side of the leather being staked, a staking blade carried by said cross head disposed in parallel relationship to said staking blade at the opposite side of the leather, spring means normally urging the staking roll and staking blade outwardly away from each other, cam means carried by said drive means actuatable upon downward movement of said cross head to force said staking roll and staking blade into engagement with opposite sides of the leather to stake the same during movement of the cross head to its lower limit position, a pair of snubbers disposed at opposite sides of the leather actuatable into engagement with the leather before the cross head reaches its lower limit position, and means actuatable by said drive means to remove said snubbers from engagement with the leather after the staking operation.

'7. In a staking machine to stretch and soften leather comprising a cross head mounted for vertical movement between predetermined upper and lower limit positions, drive means operable to reciprocate said cross head between said upper and lower limit positions, gripping means mounted upwardly adjacent said cross head to securely grip and support the leather being staked, a staking roll carried by said cross head at one side of the leather being staked, a staking blade carried by said cross head disposed in parallel relationship to said staking blade at the opposite side of the leather, spring means normally urgim the staking roll and staking blade outwardly away from each other, means actuatable upon downward movement of said cross head to force said staking roll and staking blade into engagement with opposite sides of the leather to stake the same during movement of the cross head to its lower limit position, a pair of snubbers disposed at opposite sides of the leather actuatable into engagement with the leather before the cross head reaches its lower limit position, and second spring means normall urging said snubbers outwardly away from each other.

8. In a staking machine to stretch and soften leather comprising a cross head mounted for vertical movement between predetermined upper and lower limit positions, drive means operable to reciprocate said cross head between said upper and lower limit positions, gripping means mounted upwardly adjacent said cross head to securely grip and support the leather being staked, a staking roll carried by said cross head at one side of the leather being staked, a staking blade carried by said cross head disposed in parallel relationship to said staking blade at the opposite side of the leather, spring means normally urging the staking roll and staking blade outwardly away from each other, cam means actuatable upon downward movement of said cross head to force said staking roll and staking blade into engagement with opposite sides of the leather to stake the same during movement of the cross head to its lower limit position, a pair of snubbers disposed at opposite sides of the leather actuatable into engagement with the leather before the cross head reaches its lower limit position, means to remove said snubbers from engagement with the leather after the staking operation, and second means actuatable after the removal of said snubbers from engagement with the leather to release said gripping means and permit the leather to be removed from the staking machine.

9. In a staking machine to stretch and soften leather comprising a frame having a cross head mounted thereon for vertical reciprocal movement between predetermined upper and lower limit positions, drive means to reciprocate said cross head, a fixed clamp roll extending longitudinally of said frame above said cross head over which the leather to be staked is positioned, a clamp member mounted for limited rocking movement to a position into engagement with the leather over the clamp roll to securely grip the leather, means operable upon movement of said cross head to actuate said clamp member into engagement with the leather, a staking roll extending longitudinally of the frame parallel to the cross head and having thick and thin portions thereon providing a generally waveshaped longitudinal cross sectional configuration to the staking roll, a staking blade mounted in parallel relationship with said staking roll, said staking blade having a longitudinal configuration corresponding to the shape of the staking roll and adapted to overlie the staking roll, and means operable to simultaneously with downward movement of the cross head actuate said staking roll and staking blade inwardly toward each other into engagement with the leather to stake the same.

10. In a staking machine to stretch and soften leather comprising a frame having a horizontal cross head mounted thereon for vertical movement between predetermined upper and lower limit positions, a crank shaft rotatably mounted in said frame beneath said cross head, a crank arm interconnecting said crank shaft with said cross head to impart vertical movement to the cross head during rotation of said crank shaft, a fixed clamp roll extending longitudinally of said frame above said cross head over which the leather to be staked is positioned, a clamp member mounted for limited rocking movement to a position into engagement with the leather over the clamp roll to securely grip the leather, means operable upon rotation of said crank shaft to actuate said clamp member into engagement with the leather, a staking roll extending longitudinally of the frame parallel to the cross head and having thick and thin portions thereon providing a generally wave-shaped longitudinal cross sectional configuration to the staking roll, a staking blade mounted in parallel relationship with said staking roll, said staking blade having a longitudinal configuration corresponding to the shape of the staking roll and adapted to overlie the staking roll, and means operable simultaneously upon downward movement of the cross head to actuate said staking roll and staking blade inwardly toward each other into engagement with the leather to be staked.

11. In a staking machine to stretch and soften leather comprising a frame having a horizontal cross head mounted thereon for vertical movement between predetermined upper and lower limit positions, a crank shaft rotatably mounted in said frame beneath said cross head, a crank arm interconnecting said crank shaft with said cross head to impart vertical movement to the cross head during rotation of said crank shaft, a fixed clamp roll extending longitudinally of said frame above said cross head over which the leather to be staked is positioned, a clamp member mounted for limited rocking movement to a position into engagement with the leather over the clamp roll to securely grip the leather, cam means to resiliently urge said clamp into engagement with the leather over the clamp roll, a staking roll extending longitudinally of the frame parallel to the cross head and having thick and thin portions thereon providing a generally wave-shaped longitudinal cross sectional configuration to the staking roll, a staking blade mounted in parallel relationship with said staking roll, said staking blade having a longitudinal configuration corresponding to the shape of the staking roll and adapted to overlie the staking roll, means pivotally secured to said cross head mounting the staking blade and the staking roll at opposite sides thereof, and cam means operable to engage and pivot said mounting means and actuate said staking roll and staking blade inwardly toward each other into engagement with the leather to be staked, said cam means being operable simultaneously with downward movement of said cross head.

12. A staking machine according to claim 11 wherein said cam means comprise cam segments fixedly secured to opposite sides of said crank arm.

13. In a staking machine to stretch and soften leather comprising a frame having a horizontal cross head mounted thereon for vertical movement between predetermined upper and lower limit positions, drive means to impart vertical movement to the cross head, a fixed clamp roll extending longitudinally of said frame above said cross head over which the leather to be staked is positioned, a, clamp member mounted for limited rocking movement to a position into engagement with the leather over the clamp roll to securely grip the leather, cam means to resiliently urge said clamp into engagement with the leather over the clamp roll, a staking roll extending longitudinally of the frame parallel to the cross head and having thick and thin portions thereon providing a generally wave-shaped longitudinal cross sectional configuration to the staking roll, a staking blade mounted in parallel relationship with said staking roll, said staking blade having a longitudinal configuration corresponding to the shape of the staking roll and adapted to overlie the staking roll, means pivotally secured to said cross head mounting the staking blade and the staking roll at opposite sides thereof, cam means operable to engage and pivot said mounting means and actuate said staking roll and staking blade inwardly toward each other into engagement with the leather to be staked, said cam means being operable simultaneously with downward movement of said cross head, a wrapping blade mounted in spaced parallel relationship with said staking blade operable to wrap the leather being staked partially around the staking roll, a pair of snubbers pivotally mounted on said frame at opposite sides of said cross head, and second cam means operable during downward movement of said cross head to actuate said snubbers into engagement with the leather being staked.

14. In a staking machine to stretch and soften leather comprising a frame having a horizontal cross head mounted thereon for vertical movement between predetermined upper and lower limit positions, a, crank shaft rotatably mounted in said frame beneath said cross head, a crank arm interconnecting said crank shaft with said cross head to impart vertical movement to the cross head during rotation of said crank shaft, a fixed clamp roll extending longitudinally of said frame above said cross head over which the leather to be staked is positioned, a clamp member mounted for limited rocking movement to a position into engagement with the leather over the clamp roll to securely grip the leather, cam means carried by said crank shaft, at least one connecting rod actuatable by said cam means interconnected with said clamp member, spring means carried by said connecting rod operable upon actuation of the connecting rod by said cam means to resiliently urge said clamp into engagement with the leather over the clamp roll, a staking roll extending longitudinally of the frame parallel to the cross head and having thick and thin portions thereon providing a generally waveshaped longitudinal cross sectional configuration to the staking roll, a staking blade mounted in parallel relationship with said staking roll, said staking blade having a longitudinal configuration corresponding to the shape of the staking roll and adapted to overlie the staking roll, means pivotally secured to said cross head mounting the staking blade and the staking roll at opposite sides thereof, second cam means operable to engage and pivot said mounting means and actuate said staking roll and staking blade inwardly toward each other into engagement with the leather to be staked, said second cam means being operable simultaneously with downward movement of said cross head, a Wrapping blade mounted in spaced parallel relationship with said staking blade operable to wrap the leather being staked partially around the staking roll, a pair of snubbers pivotally mounted on said frame at opposite sides of said cross head, and third cam means operable during downward movement of said cross head to actuate said snubbers into engagement with the leather being staked.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,074,348 Bohacek Sept. 30, 1913 2,238,413 Doughty et al Apr. 15, 1941 2,297,189 Ladner et al Sept. 29, 1942 2,504,917 Amelunxen Apr. 18, 1950 

